101 Helpful Hints for IELTS Dropwindsonde information is fed into a special meteorological computer in Maryland which generates a global computer model of wind patterns. Data analysts have discovered a greater variability in the winds at sea level than previously believed, but many forecasting problems are beyond a solution, at least for the time being. For instance, it is not yet known why hurricanes can suddenly change in intensity; current computer models often fail to predict whether a hurricane will reach land or else cannot pinpoint where a strike will take place. One surprising result of a recent computer simulation was the destruction of a large part of downtown New York. Hurricane researchers believe that the city is more likely than Miami to suffer a direct hit in the near future. Also, certain geographical features of the coastline near New York make it conceivable that a wall of water called a storm surge pushed ashore by hurricane winds would cause a devastating flooding of Manhattan. A storm surge was responsible for the more than 8000 deaths caused by the hurricane that destroyed the city of Galveston in 1900. 1 the custom of naming hurricanes began in the early 1950s 2 hurricanes are categorised according to their wind speed from Category 1 (least intense) to Category 5 (most intense) 6 8 26-27 43-57 9 65' 56 52-54 54'59 1 Check: 11-15 Questions 1 - 4 You are advised to spend about 5 minutes on Questions 1-4. Refer to Reading Passage 1 "Tracking Hurricanes", and look at Questions 1 - 4 below. Write your answers in boxes 1 - 4 on your Answer Sheet. The first one has been done for you as an example. Example: What do the letters NOAA stand for? Ql. Which instruments have recently increased the success rate of U.S. hurricane forecasts? Q2. What reason is given for the lack of knowledge of hurricanes at sea? Q3. Why was the hurricane which struck in 1926 not given a name? Q4. What is the name of the strongest hurricane mentioned in the article? 114 Practice Test Two Questions 5-11 You are advised to spend about 8 minutes on Questions 5-11. Look at the table below. According to Reading Passage 1, to whom or what do the phrases on the right refer? Write your answers in boxes 5 -11 on your Answer Sheet. The first one has been done for you as an example. Note that you must give your answer IN NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. have improved their forecasts for hurricanes. Q5 become stronger every few decades. Q6 energises all hurricanes. Q7 is a huge current of water flowing from north to south. Q8 could not stay in the air for a long time. Q9 know more about surface winds than they knew before. Q10 recently predicted a catastrophe for the city of New York. Qll is a huge wave of water blown on land by a hurricane. Questions 12 -15 You are advised to spend about 7 minutes on Questions 12-15. Refer to Reading Passage 1, and decide which of the answers best completes the following sentences. Write your answers in boxes 12 -15 on your Answer Sheet. The first one has been done for you as an example. Example: The main point of the passage is to give information about: a) previous U.S. hurricanes b) future U.S. hurricanes c) forecasting hurricane activity why hurricanes change in intensity 115 Who or What ? 6 8 44-46 53 9 65' 49 44 44 49-65 42-43 42-49 Check 11-15 6 8 30-33 40-43 9 101 Helpful Hints for 1ELTS 52 Q12. The intensity of U.S. hurricanes: a) has increased by 15 to 30% recently by depends on the GPS-dropwindsondes c) was greater from 1940 to 1969 than at any previous time d) can be more accurately measured by satellite assistance 31-52 Q13. The Category 4 hurricane which hit Florida in 1926: a) w as the most catastrophic to hit the U. S. this century b) caused $77 billion worth of damage c) caused an explosion in population growth d) none of the above 35-52 Q14. Hurricane'Camille': a) caused $1.5 billion dollars damage in today's money b) was the worst U.S. storm this century in terms of life lost c) was named in the 1950s d) was not as intense as the hurricane of 1926 Q15. The writer of the passage probably believes that: a) accurate tracking of hurricanes might be possible in the future b) storm surges only occur within computer simulations c) computer predictions are unreliable d) the worst hurricanes occur in the U.S. Check: 11-13-15 116 Practice Test Two Reading Passage 2 Questions 16-28 You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on Questions 16 - 28. TERTIARY COMPARISON GUIDE After purchasing a house and a car, the next maj or life expenditure is almost certainly the cost of tertiary education. The question is, are prospective university students getting value for money? Paying up to $25,000 for a university education, they need reliable information in order to compare institutions and courses. There are now two official guides comparing universities, but not courses. As a result, academic controversy has arisen over their adequacy, and because of concerns about comparability and accuracy of data. When comparing universities, one should be aware of what exactly is being measured, and whether the information is useful. Professor Brian Smith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney, says, "There is as much variation within one university as between universities; no university has all the best activities, and no university is without its strengths". It makes little sense for prospective students to choose to go to a university simply because it has an excellent reputation. It is wiser to look first at the overall characteristics and reputation of a university, and then at the faculty or discipline desired. To do this one must have access to quality data for each discipline. Let us look at three ways we can now rank universities. A government-appointed Quality Review Committee made the first ranking of unversities in 1993. It divided the 35 universities in Australia into six quality bands based mainly on research and teaching outcomes. In the top band, only two universities were represented: one fromNSW (the University of NSW) and the other from the ACT (the Australian National University). Sydney and Wollongong universities were both in the second ranking. Wollongong was 54 . 56 . 57 the only newer university to make such a high grade. Macquarie and the University of Technology, Sydney, were in band four; Charles Sturt, Canberra, New England, and Newcastle were in band five. In band six were the Australian Catholic University and the University of Western Sydney. This ranking has drawn much criticism, since it was based on what universities spent on research, and not on the quality of teaching. However, it should be stated that this was the first year of a continuing quality review. Next, the Quality Review Committee will assess the teaching record of universities. The Department of Education Employment and Training (DEET) has published 50 indicators of diversity and performance of Australian universities. This lists comparative data on everything from academic staff ratio and percentage of staff with PhDs, to expenditure on library grants. The document says it does not rank universities, and is designed to assist students to make informed comparisons. But the universities can be ranked by each measure using a key indicator of success - positive graduate outcomes - which combines the percentage of recent graduates in full-time work and/or full-time study. Here, the University of Technology, Sydney, emerges as the leader in NSW, with 83.2% of its graduates in work and/or study, just behind the ANUwith83.5%. Sydney has 79.8%, Charles Sturt 75.5%, Wollongong 74.1%, Macquarie 73.2%, UNSW 73.1%, Newcastle 72.5%, New England/Southern Cross 72%, and Western Sydney 69.7%. Professor Gannicort, a Professor of Education at Wollongong University, has developed his own "performance table", ranking Australian universities using some 117 101 Helpful Hints for IELTS of the DEET data - including the number of government research grants and grants from industry, as well as the number of recent graduates in full-time work or study. This time the University of Queensland tops the league. Sydney is third, UNSW fifth, ANU sixth, Macquarie 10th, Newcastle 15th, and all the other NSW universities well down in the rankings. He says this shows that the key factors which determine better university performance are what has always been supposed: that is, high quality students, numerous well-qualified staff, and non- proliferation of courses. Interestingly, Ms. Barbara Bell, the National Recruitment Manager for the Institute of Chartered Accountants, claims employers are not so much interested in the university as in the skills and all-round quality of graduates. Those graduates who lack communication skills, for example, are at a big disadvantage. Ms. Bell quotes a recent survey that found a quarter of employers of graduates chose not to rank universities "because they said there was no correlation between the university and performance". Dr. Michael Dack, Public Affairs Director of the Institution of Engineers, has commented that the prestige of a university does not count. The smaller universities are tailoring courses and products to the marketplace better than the large universities. They are trying harder to produce graduates who are acceptable to industry and employers. Traditional universities are often more academic and less industry-linked. He argues strongly the case for more broadly educated graduates. For example, the trend in engineering was to produce graduates with a broader education, communication and financial skills, and knowledge of the environmental and political context. Engineers with other skills were able to weather times of economic recession much better. Figure 1. Australian Universities - Positive Graduate Outcomes 60% J 10 Australian Universities ANU UTS Sydney Charles Sturt Wollongong Macquarie UNSW Newcastle Southern Cross Western Sydney 118 Practice Test Two Questions 16-23 You are advised to spend about 10 minutes on Questions 16-23. Refer to Reading Passage 2 "Tertiary Comparison Guide", and look at the statements below. Write your answers in boxes 16 - 23 on your Answer Sheet. Write A if the statement is Accurate I if the statement is Inaccurate N if the information is Not Given in the text The first one has been done for you as an example. Example: There are now two official university comparison guides available. I N Q16. Prospective students should consider the reputation of the university before choosing the faculty. A I N Q17. The university ranking system by the Quality Review Committee was well-received by students. A I N Q18. The Quality Review Committee's basis for determining the ranking was the quality of tuition. A I N Q19. The Committee will next review the amount universities spend on research. A I N Q20. The DEET study was conducted to assist students to compare information about universities. A I N Q21. More than a third of the universities in the DEET study have 75% or more of their recent graduates in work and/or study. A I N Q22. According to employers, the ranking of universities does not assist in the determination of performance. A I N Q23. In order to compare disciplines or faculties, students need access to quality data. A I N 119 6 8 34-36 43-44-46 9 34 46 - 44 44 44 54 43 44 Check: 11-13-15- . ? 6 8 44-46 53 9 65' 49 44 44 49-65 42- 43 42-49 Check 11-15 6 8 30 -33 40- 43 9 101 Helpful Hints for 1ELTS 52 Q12. The intensity of U.S. hurricanes: a) has increased by 15 to 30 % recently by. performance. A I N Q 23. In order to compare disciplines or faculties, students need access to quality data. A I N 119 6 8 34 -36 43- 44-46 9 34 46 - 44 44 44 54 43 44 Check: 11- 13- 15- . leader in NSW, with 83. 2% of its graduates in work and/or study, just behind the ANUwith 83. 5%. Sydney has 79.8%, Charles Sturt 75.5%, Wollongong 74.1%, Macquarie 73. 2%, UNSW 73. 1%, Newcastle 72.5%,